New Products To Patch And Brighten The Home

August 09, 1985|By Jean Noe Clark.

The roof over our heads is easy to take for granted. Until it leaks. Or falls on us.

Leaky roofs, falling plaster, uneven cracked ceilings, dark rooms, hot rooms all can be helped or eliminated with some diligence and a talent for do- it-yourself projects. Some of these new products may be just what you need to keep that roof overhead high and dry.

If your overhead problem is inside, you may only need a new patching product from Bondex International, manufacturer and marketer of patching and waterproofing products. Super Patch is a ready-mixed patching product for ceiling and wall cracks or holes. Super Patch will not shrink, crack or sag and can be applied to practically any surface. It is available in half-pint, pint and quart plastic resealable cans.

and quart, $5.58. Super Patch is available in major hardware and home center stores. For further information, write or call Bondex International Inc., 910 N. 11th St., St. Louis, Mo. 633101-1377; phone 314-225-5001.

If your ceiling is not only cracked but uneven or too high, you can remedy that by creating an optical illusion with wallpaper borders. United and Imperial Wallcoverings have a new collection of borders with matching wallpapers, all prepasted, scrubbable and dry-strippable. By trimming the border slightly or leaving a wedge of wall and painting it the ceiling color you can make an uneven ceiling or wall look trim.

The borders also can visually lower a high ceiling. Two layers of border, with a bit of wall or wallpaper between them or a border placed several inches below the ceiling, will create design interest and make the ceiling appear lower.

Suggested retail price varies with the pattern; borders range from $9.95 to $14.95 per five-yard roll. They are available in home centers, hardware stores and home decorating stores. For further information and a free brochure on decorating with borders, write Imperial Wallcoverings, 23645 Mercantile Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44122 (please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope); phone 216-464-3700.

If your ceiling (and your room) is dark, lighten it by adding a new skinny skylight from Wasco Products Inc. These Extra-Long Skylights provide the daylighting of two single skylights laid end to end. The skinny skylights are available in two models, each having dimensions of 22 inches by 70 inches. The acrylic bubble-style (DDRA-2270) Skywindow and the low-profile, flat-glass version (GA-2270) Skywindow are available with clear or bronze-tinted domes.

Both models are designed as fixed, rather than venting (opening) units. The Skywindows have self-flashing, built-in curbs for easy installation, weather-tightness and energy efficiency. They are factory-assembled and ready to install. Suggested retail prices for Skywindow models are $324 for the clear dome, $359 for bronze-tinted. The Skywindows are available in lumber yards, hardware and home center stores or by writing or calling: Sales Department, Wasco Products Inc., P.O. Box 351, Sanford, Me. 04073; phone 207-324-8060.

Maybe your problem isn`t a ceiling that is too high but one that is too low to install the ceiling fan you`d like. The Hunter Fan Co. has added two close-to-the-ceiling Low Profile fans for ceilings that are eight-feet or lower. The fans come in 52-inch and 42-inch profiles and are four inches shorter than most models.

The new Hunter Low Profile 42-inch models are available in brass, antique brass and white; brass models have a suggested retail list price of $165 while the painted version is $155. The 52-inch models have a retail list price of $185 for brass and antique brass and $175 for white. The fans are available in home centers and hardware stores. For further information write or call:

If your ceiling problem is caused by a leaky roof, you`d better look at some of the coating and patching products available. First you`ll need to determine if your roof just has ``pinhole leaks`` or if it has holes and cracks in seams, flashings, gutters, downspouts and valleys.

If the problem is just pinhole leaks, you can apply Parr Black Fibred Roof Coating with a roofing brush. To plug one leak, use a black fibrous adhesive mastic, Parr`s Leak Plugger. Brush or trowel a one-coat patch into the problem area. Flash Patch from Parr is a highly adhesive polymer/asphalt sealant tape used for sealing flashings and copings, metal roof seams, holes in gutters and downspouts and around roof vents.

Suggested retail price for the Black Fibred Roof Coating is $14.95 for a five-gallon bucket; Leak Plugger, $14.95 for a five-gallon bucket; Flash Patch, $4.95 for a 1 1/2-inch by 50-inch roll. Parr roofing products are available in hardware stores and home centers. For further information call or write: Parr Inc., 18400 Syracuse Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44110; phone 216-692-1000.